Donnie Nelson

Donn Charles Nelson (born September 10, 1962) is an American basketball executive who previously held general manager and president of basketball operations roles for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is the son of Hall of Fame basketball coach Don Nelson. In a 2007 Sports Illustrated article ranking the NBA's personnel bosses from 1 to 30, Nelson was ranked 2nd. In a 2009 Yahoo Sports article, Nelson was ranked the third-best general manager of the decade after producing nine 50-plus-win seasons in a row and the first finals appearance in franchise history in 2006. Nelson assembled the Mavericks team that would later win the 2011 NBA championship. Having served since 2005, Nelson was the longest-tenured general manager in the NBA at the time of his parting with the Mavericks in 2021. Nelson is one of the co-owners of the Texas Legends, the NBA G League affiliate of the Mavericks, located in the Dallas–Fort Worth suburb of Frisco. Early life Donnie Nelson is the second of four children born to Don and Sharon Nelson, and the only son. He was born in Iowa City during his father's final year at the University of Iowa, and was raised in Natick, Massachusetts as his father played for the Boston Celtics. Growing up to proportions similar to his father, Nelson also took up basketball, playing in high school for Worcester Academy. However, a broken ankle reduced his playing efficiency. Don's job coaching the Milwaukee Bucks had made the family move to Brookfield, Wisconsin, and the same day Donnie graduated and was driven back home by Sharon in 1982, Don decided to leave his wife. Wishing to remain closer to his mother, Donnie gave up on playing in Iowa or Indiana, and instead went to the Division III Wheaton College in Illinois, where his older sister Julie studied. Despite being an All-America player with Wheaton, he asked his father not to make any calls for a professional tryout. The summer after his freshman year, he joined the Athletes in Action team, traveling first to South America and then to Europe. The experience made Nelson interested in bringing international players to the NBA, a trademark of his subsequent career. He graduated in 1986. NBA beginnings Nelson's first works with the NBA were in his father's teams, first as a regional scout of the Milwaukee Bucks between 1984 and 1986, and then as the top assistant to Don in the Golden State Warriors from 1986 to 1994.